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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    In both cool- and warm-season turf, areas with poor drainage are especially prone to winterkill. All photos by Kevin Frank Winter usually is a time when superintendents can look forward to taking a little time away from the golf course. However, it also is time to be aware of the threat of winter damage in both cool- and warm-season turf.
    Although there are distinct differences in winter damage in cool- and warm-season turf, one thing that is common to both is plants that already are weakened are the most susceptible to damage. Examples of at-risk areas are those where drainage is poor or where heavy shade is an issue. A pair of recent TurfNet webinars by Kevin Frank, Ph.D., of Michigan State University and Wendell Hutchens, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas, addressed winterkill in both cool- and warm-season grasses
    While winter damage on cool-season turf typically is associated with ice cover, warm-season turf is susceptible simply to extreme low temperatures. Hutchens points to December 2022 as an example when an overnight drop in temperature from the high 30s to below zero caused havoc throughout Arkansas.
    "That extreme event pretty much wiped out a lot of our warm-season grasses in Arkansas and surrounding areas," Hutchens said during a recent TurfNet webinar on preventing winterkill in warm-season turf. 
    "This extreme low temperature can cause direct kill to warm-season grasses, and that is what we saw in the winter of '22."
    Causes of winterkill in warm-season turf include:
    extreme low temperatures sustained low temps that leads to carbohydrate exhaustion rapid temperature drop in late fall or early spring desiccation caused by too little soil moisture anoxia caused by too much soil moisture Managing moisture, height of cut and nitrogen in the fall helped prevent winter damage on warm-season turf, according to Hutchens. His advice for preventing winter damage is based largely on results from a multi-year study he and others conducted in Virginia and Maryland from 2019 to 2023.
    The study was conducted on Tahoma 31, Latitude 36, Tufcote and Tifway 419, from 2019 to 2023 at outdoor and indoor locations. 
    Results of the study showed that late-season applications of slow-release nitrogen can help retain fall color without compromising cold hardiness through winter. The research also showed that increasing fall mowing height in fairway turf from 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches helped with color retention and reduced the incidence of winter weed growth.

    Kevin Frank suggests cutting channels on poorly draining greens to help move water off the surface after snow and ice melts to prevent damage from refreezing. Irrigating dormant warm-season turf during times of prolonged drought (two weeks or more) through winter can help prevent desiccation, a major cause of winterkill.
    In Hutchens' research, plots were irrigated to levels less than 15 percent volumetric water content and more than 19 percent VWC. Results showed that irrigation at the higher rate and applications of wetting agents before short-term freeze events reduced winter injury.
    He also suggested use of permeable covers on greens for periods of sudden temperature drops or sustained cold periods.
    Winter damage in cool-season turf typically manifests as desiccation or crown hydration injury associated with ice cover.
    Michigan State's Frank has written and talked extensively on the subject of winterkill. He also suggests use of permeable covers to prevent desiccation or exposure to severe cold temperatures, but adds that covers are not always effective during periods of prolonged ice cover, a major cause of winterkill in annual bluegrass. 
    Annual bluegrass can show signs of winter damage after just 30 days or less under ice cover and is especially at risk after continued periods of thawing and refreezing. Creeping bentgrass is more tolerant to ice cover, and might not show signs of damage for up to 120 days.

    Although winterkill is a common and widespread issue, there is still much to learn about it. "All of our estimates for killing turf are just that, estimates," Frank said in his webinar on winterkill. "It could be 45-90 days in some cases. Injury could occur in 30 days for annual bluegrass. In some cases, annual bluegrass has damage in less than 30 days."
    Frank's keys for preventing winterkill in cool-season turf are:
    improve surface drainage increase mowing height promote plant health monitor for ice Good drainage is key to preventing winter damage in warm- and cool-season grass.
    Frank suggests cutting cup cutter-sized holes in areas with poor drainage and filling the holes with gravel or sand. He also suggests cutting channels to facilitate moving water off greens when snow and ice melt to prevent damage during a refreeze.
    He also suggests fall fertilization and slightly raising height of cut on greens going into winter to promote improved plant health.
    In 2020, Michigan State began using sensors to record soil and air temperatures at three depths, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and relative humidity. The goal is to develop what Frank called a warning system that conditions are right for winter damage.
    "It's not only understanding the conditions that cause winterkill," Frank said, "but then what also are the specific measures that kill (turf), because right now, to be honest, it's always a little bit of guesswork of our own experiences and opinions sprinkled in with some science that we know about for getting these diagnoses correct."
  • On more than one occasion I have been asked why TurfNet publishes updates on the case against Roundup. After all, it is not commonly used in managing low-mown turf on golf courses or athletic fields, yet almost everyone probably has at least a jug of it hanging around somewhere. 
    I publish those updates as a reminder about what can happen when people who are uninformed decide what products the rest of us can and cannot use. When government agencies impose restrictions on synthetic pesticide or fertilizer use, those decisions sometimes are made with the best of intentions, but with little or no data to support them. The public relations campaign against pesticide use has been bolstered largely by high-profile cases like the slew of cancer claims against Roundup and the misapplication of a neonicotinoid at an Oregon shopping mall that resulted in the death of thousands of bumble bees.
    Great strides have been made in bringing effective low-use-rate pesticides to market, but there are still many who believe, regardless of the consequences, that all synthetic products should be banned on public land. That should be a red flag for anyone who relies on such products every day say many in the industry, including Beth Guertal, Ph.D., of Kansas State University who recently addressed this topic at this year's Carolinas GCSA Conference and Trade Show.
    "I just told a group of superintendents that they need to be paying attention to this," Guertal said. "It's coming."
    A golf course on Maui is among the latest to be subjected to such a ban and serves as a case study as to what can happen to those who are caught unawares.
    In 2021, Maui County, Hawaii passed a resolution that bans synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on county-owned or county-managed land. That ban includes the county-owned Waiehu Municipal Golf Course. 
    Such bans have no basis in fact, says Guertal.
    "At correct rates, there's just no evidence to support this," she said. "They're kind of making this stuff up is what they're doing."
    Andrew McGuire, Ph.D., of Washington State recently wrote that organic products are not a magic bullet and are no substitute for time-tested best practices.
    Wrote McGuire in a recent tweet: "You can't bio-product your way to soil health — products don't improve soil's physical conditions, but proven practices do. Before spending your money on an unproven product, try a time-tested practice to build soil."

    There are steps turf managers can take to minimize the chances of such bans taking hold.
    Proactive measures such as sharing BMPs with local officials and staging on-site educational events can show the public the biodiversity that can exist on a golf course with the proper use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
    Brian Boyer held such an event last year at Cinnabar Hills near San Jose, California where he and volunteers shuttled more than 60 local students through eight stations around the golf course, teaching them about the tools superintendents use, water, soil, plants, putting green management, golf course wildlife, weather and irrigation.
    The Maui rule went into effect in 2022, but the golf course was given three years to come into compliance. That deadline has arrived and county parks officials in charge of the golf course and a pair of athletic fields say none of the organic herbicide or fertilizer options available to them have been effective and they are seeking an exemption to the ban.
    At a recent county council meeting on Maui, a line of people spoke in opposition to an exemption, none of whom cited any scientific evidence to substantiate their claims. 
    Attendees at the Maui meeting, some speaking on behalf of an environmental activism group called Beyond Pesticides Hawaii, claimed that synthetic pesticides and fertilizers pose a threat to waterways, ocean reefs, golfers and visitors to the park, and degrade the native soils.
    "There is no data to support that. There's just none," Guertal said. "All the data supports that monocultures that are maintained with a good diversity of biomass, they can be very healthy systems."

    Parks and recreation officials say organic products used to manage Waiehu Municipal Golf Course in Hawaii have been ineffective. Some opposed to an exemption said work on drafting a pesticide ban began nearly a decade ago and accused those in the parks department of stalling.
    Shane Dudoit, deputy director for the county parks and recreation department, said his department is not stalling, adding conversion to organic management has been slow because the available products are ineffective. He talked about the challenges associated with using only organic products to manage a 94-year-old golf course that has a 12-month season and gets about 65,000 rounds per year. He came prepared with before-and-after photos that demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the products being used and said the parks division could lose the golf course to weeds if a synthetic alternative is not found.
    That can be a difficult argument to make to those who do not read the science.
    "People just don't want to hear it," Guertal said. "They've got their minds made up."
    The Maui meeting was adjourned without any decision being reached.
    "We're at a standstill," Dudoit said via email. "We're waiting for a community hearing that should be coming up soon."
    Dudoit believes the move to ban pesticides and fertilizers stems from the scare over Roundup.
    Roundup has been famously linked to causing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer that begins in the lymphatic system despite claims from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it is safe.
    Litigation surrounding use of Roundup ultimately resulted in a settlement that cost Bayer billions and contributed to the company selling its T&O division to Cinven in 2022.
    "No one in the turf industry believes (Roundup causes cancer), because there is no data to prove it," Guertal said. "There are literally hundreds of studies to prove it's one of the more safe and effective products available."
    That has not mattered to those pushing the use of organic products only, some of which also can have unintended consequences.
    Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., of the University of Florida says many organic fertilizers can have excess nitrogen or phosphorus that comes in the way of filler that is not part of the product's analysis.
    "The plant sees ammonium and nitrate. It doesn't care what color it is, or where they come from," Unruh said. "It doesn't care if it came from a cow, or a synthetic factory. 
    "Natural organic composts or sludges typically come with a boatload of phosphorus, and you can't stop that. You can't get it out."

    A parks and recreation manager in Hawaii is seeking an exemption on a pesticide ban to fight weeds at Waiehu Municipal Golf Course. Organic herbicides also can cause an overload of nitrogen.
    Corn gluten can be used as a pre-emergent herbicide for control of crabgrass, but it is loaded with nitrogen.
    "That means you're going to put it out in February, and the rate at which you have to apply the corn gluten is also putting out 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet on dormant grass," Guertal said. "So I'm putting out almost half to a third of my year's nitrogen at a time when environmentally I would never ever want to do it. So I can tell you what's more environmentally dangerous and it's that corn gluten."
    Even organic products such as copper that can be used as a fungicide should be used with caution.
    "The rates are so high," Guertal said. "It's far more damaging than a properly applied fungicide."
    When such bans are imposed elsewhere, it should be a warning sign for turf managers everywhere to be prepared by collecting scientific data on everything that is used on the golf course, information on the efficacy and other challenges associated with organic alternatives, and having at the ready your state's BMP manual.
    Then, like Boyer at Cinnabar Hills, find a creative way to share that information.
  • The Vermont golf community has lost two longtime contributors in the span of just three weeks.
    Michael O'Connor (below right), a former superintendent and the founder of Greenspace Environmental and Turf Services, died Nov. 2 at his home in Westminster. Michael, 68, had been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease. He was preceded in death by his father, William (top right), a longtime Vermont superintendent, on Oct. 13.
    William O'Connor, 91, became head greenkeeper at Bellows Falls Country Club in 1951 at age 17. The product of a different era, he slept in the caddy shack so he could be at work early in the morning. His career at Bellows Falls started at age 12 as a caddy. He eventually was named superintendent, a position he held until 1979.
    When not on the golf course, William was an active member of the Westminster community. He sold insurance in the 1979s for Metropolitan Life. As the story goes, he would collect premiums in person and always brought a biscuit along for dogs on his route. He also was known to hold a baby or two while customers took a minute to throw in a load of laundry or run the vacuum.
    William served as town manager from 1982 to 1998 for Westminster, where he lived for 60 years. Before becoming town manager, he was on the school board and was a town selectman.
    As a youngster, Michael O'Connor grew up on the grounds at Bellows Falls alongside his father. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and went on to work at Chevy Chase Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland and Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, before going on to become superintendent at then director of golf course operations at Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont.
    In 1990, Michael founded Greenspace Environmental and Turf Services, an international environmental company specializing in design and permitting of golf courses in the United States and abroad.
    Throughout his career, Michael served many years on the board of the Vermont Golf Course Superintendents Association. In his spare time, he was a model train aficionado and was a self-taught guitar player.  
    After his diagnosis, Michael continued his practice in agronomy and simultaneously served the Vermont Chapter of American Parkinson's Disease Association and was an advocate for those affected by the disease.
    Survivors include wife, Barbara; mother, Marlene O’Connor; sisters Shannon O’Connor (Michael Pon) and Erin Harding (John); brother-in-law, Werner Muller; sister-in-law, Ramona El Hamzaoui; sister-in-law, Lisa Muller; uncle, Paul O’Connor; cousin, Robert Kenney (Ruth); and many nieces and nephews.
  • Playing a leadership role is nothing new for the U.S. Navy.
    Similarly, the golf course at the U.S. Naval Academy is a pioneer in its world.
    Five years ago, the Naval Academy course was among the first to grass with Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass. Developed by turfgrass breeders at Oklahoma State University, it boasted traits such as improved tolerance for cold, wear, drought and disease, attributes that have made it popular even in transition zone areas like the coastal Mid-Atlantic. Since regrassing with Tahoma after a recent renovation, the grass has provided a 12-month playing surface while making the threat of winterkill nearly a thing of the past.
    Tahoma 31 was still known under its NTEP name of OKC 1131 in 2019 when superintendent Eric David first bought a truckload of sod from Riverside Turf in Charles City, Virginia. The goal was to determine if it could be incorporated into a renovation that was just getting started at the course in Annapolis, Maryland.

    Tahoma 31 fairways provide a 12-month playing surface at the golf course at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. "I wanted to test it out, so we tested 9,000 square feet all over the place," he said. "I put it in high-traffic areas, shaded areas. I put it on tees. I did a split tee with half Tahoma and half of another Bermuda to see how they looked in the same environment. We did it that summer and through the winter and decided that's what we were going to go with in 2020. I've had Tahoma longer in Maryland on a golf course than anyone." 
    Today, David is managing 30 acres of Tahoma on tees, fairways and the practice range, areas where he previously was growing mostly common Bermudagrass. It also is in all approaches that run up to a series of annual bluegrass collars that surround the course's 007 creeping bentgrass greens.
    He also is managing Tahoma on a three-quarter-acre nursery as well as some of the Navy's athletic fields.
    Since that renovation four years ago, Tahoma 31 has popped up at about a half-dozen golf courses throughout Maryland, including Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase which incorporated it into a renovation last year.
    "I love it," David said. "It's now the standard grass around here for anybody doing Bermuda. It's pretty much just Tahoma for our region.
    "When we did the renovation of the golf course, I bought the sod in November. It was dormant when we laid it, and it was fine. That grass is still there today."

    Tahoma 31 was installed at the golf course at the U.S. Naval Academy during a recent renovation. The NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens also are playing on Tahoma.
    "The sports turf guys were on it earlier than the golf guys because of its tensile strength and tear resistance," David said. "You just can't tear this stuff."
    With average daily high temperatures in the 40s even throughout the winter in Annapolis, golf courses in coastal Maryland can get consistent play year-round, and common Bermuda was not up to the task.
    "The common Bermuda would already be brown at this point and start to recede to the point that you'd have to overseed," David said. 
    "With Tahoma we have really good conditions starting in April and have pretty good conditions all the way through winter. It is absolutely playable through the winter. In fact, I'd say some of the guys (who play here) really like it better in winter because it's not growing as much, and you can hit the ball farther. It's a faster playing surface. The seniors who play all winter long, they love it."
    A 2007 Michigan State graduate who prepped for 10 years at Baltimore Country Club before being named superintendent at the Naval Academy course seven years ago, David said the playing conditions on the common Bermuda were not optimal until July. Conversely, the Tahoma greens up in Annapolis in April and retains its color until late November or even into early December. 
    "We have three, three-and-a-half, at most four months of brown," he said. "Even in dormancy it performs well. That was the key. You don't have to overseed into it, and still can maintain a dense enough surface that you could play off it.

    Mowers go out shortly after spring green up occurs in April at the Naval Academy Golf Course. "In April after it starts to green up, we'll wait a week or two then mow to clean up some of the tissue on top. Then we'll be mowing once every two weeks in May. In June we're mowing weekly or bi-weekly, then by the end of June we're mowing at least two days a week depending on (plant growth) regulators."
    David said the density of the turf canopy is more reminiscent of a creeping bentgrass than an ultradwarf Bermuda that golfers would be accustomed to seeing in Florida or other parts of the South.
    Winterkill issues have been almost non-existent, except for one freeze in the winter of 2022-23 that David described as a "freak" flash freeze event that lasted less than a day.
    "Wherever there was moisture, the grass died. By the second day it was back up to 40 degrees," he said. "The only places (where grass) died was where there was field capacity moisture. It didn't have time to freeze the soil. It was just one of those things. What are you going to do? Otherwise, we've had zero turf loss."
    Tahoma 31 was developed by Oklahoma State University turfgrass breeder Yanqi Wu, Ph.D., from parents taken from cold, arid parts of China and South Africa.
    "Golfers love it because it's a hard playing surface," David said. "We like it for drought resistance, cart traffic (resistance), color and length of time we can keep it green."
  • Ozzie Smith's exploits on the baseball diamond are well known over his 19-year Major League career. Smith, who retired from baseball in 1996, also has made significant contributions to golf through his foundation, and as such has been named the recipient of the GCSAA's 2025 Old Tom Morris Award.
    Smith spent most of his professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals and became well known for his exploits with a glove as well as his trademark backflips on the field. He will be presented with the award Feb. 6 during the 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.
    Named for the four-time British Open winner and the legendary greenkeeper at St. Andrews in Scotland, the Old Tom Morris Award is presented annually to someone who, "through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris."
    Not merely an avid golfer, Smith works to remove barriers to the game for youths and young adults as well as affected veterans through his Ozzie Smith Charitable Foundation.
    That philanthropic work has led him to a relationship with the PGA, where he serves as president of the PGA Reach Foundation. His work has resulted in introducing the game to youths and young adults who might not otherwise have access to the game, giving them a chance to understand the game and see all of the opportunities for potential turfgrass management careers.
    "I'm just a baseball player that has gotten the opportunity to do all these things," Smith said. "I just give back where I can, to these kids, kids that may not get to experience anything like this in golf."
    Smith also donates a portion of the proceeds from his Back Flip brand of pre-made cocktails to the PGA Hope Foundation that introduces and teaches golf to veterans and active-duty military to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.
    "After a stellar Major League Baseball career, Ozzie embodies the same passion and dedication to the game of golf," said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. "His ongoing efforts to grow the game, including for underserved youths, have buoyed communities and exemplify what the Old Tom Morris Award represents. In the process, he has formed friendships and developed a deep respect and appreciation for the numerous golf course superintendents he continues to interact with along the way. He's a true ambassador for the game."

    Ozzie Smith, right, and former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban during Smith's charity golf tournament in 2023. Ozzie Smith photo via Instagram Smith credits former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog for introducing him to golf when his former boss invited him to hit the opening shot in his charity golf tournament.
    "I went out that day and the first ball I hit was right down the middle," Smith said. "I was hooked for life."
    Along the way, Smith has developed a deep appreciation for golf course superintendents and their teams. He has seen the essential role they play in making golf enjoyable and makes sure to promote their work when introducing new players to the game. 
    "Golfers just come out and enjoy the beauty of it," Smith said. "It's the golf course superintendents and their teams that give us these beautiful playing surfaces. Their drive, determination and teamwork to make each round the very best it can be is amazing. I've been involved in teams all my life."
    For the past 15 years, Smith has hosted the annual Ozzie and Friends Gala and Pro Am, PGA Gateway's largest fundraiser.
    A Los Angeles native, Smith made his Major League debut in 1978 with the San Diego Padres. He was traded to St. Louis in 1982 for then-Cardinals shortstop Garry Templeton and helped them to a World Series win that same year. Throughout his career, he won 13 Gold Glove Awards for his defensive proficiency and appeared in the All-Star Game 15 times. He retired in 1996 and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2002.
    He said being recognized by the GCSAA as the Old Tom Award recipient is a true honor.
    "When GCSAA shared the list of past recipients, I was overwhelmed," he said, "it is an incredible list and I am humbled to now be part of this illustrious group."
  • The Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association has grown through the years in size and influence like no other regional turf group.
    Much of the credit for that growth can be attributed to the work and vision of longtime member and former association president Chuck Green (at right), the director of operations at the Quixote Club in Sumter, South Carolina.
    Because of his contributions to the association, Green, 67, has been named the recipient of the Carolinas GCSA Distinguished Service Award. He will receive the award at the association's annual meeting and trade show scheduled for Nov. 18-20 in Myrtle Beach. 
    An unprecedented 36 nomination letters were submitted on Green's behalf from past Carolinas presidents, fellow superintendents, university researchers and industry supporters.
    When Green served as association president in 1996, the Carolinas had fewer than 1,000 members, was run by an after-hours executive secretary and the conference and trade show attracted less than 1,000 attendees. 
    Today, the association has close to 1,900 members and has transitioned from part- to full-time management with a full-time staff of four. Its conference and trade show grew — literally — into its current digs at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center where it has become the largest regional event in the country for golf course superintendents. More than 2,000 people and 400 trade show exhibitors are expected at this year's two-day conference.
    Among those nominating Green was Jeffrey Connell, general manager at Fort Jackson Golf Club in Columbia, South Carolina. Connell was president of the Carolinas GCSA in 2010 and the South Carolina Golf Association in 2022-23.
    "Chuck was part of a special generation of men who wanted to professionalize the association," Connell said.
    In a 40-year career in the turf industry, Green was superintendent at Florence Country Club and Columbia Country Club. In 2000, he grew-in Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, South Carolina, where he remained for 19 years. He was named operations manager at Sunset Country Club in 2019 where he headed up the transition to the reinvented Quixote Club. Part of that transition was a $13 million renovation in 2020.
    Green also played a lead role in helping advance turfgrass research in the Carolinas. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, South Carolina, which became synonymous with the work of retired Clemson plant pathologist Bruce Martin, Ph.D.
    The Clemson research center was established in 1911 in Darlington, South Carolina, but was reinvented in 1985 in its current location in Florence. Until 1985, Martin's research focused primarily on corn, cotton, sorghum and tobacco.
    "(W)ithout Chuck's intervention and willingness to intercede and plead my case," Martin wrote in nominating Green for the award, "it would have been unlikely that we would ever have built our program at Florence."
  • When a fire destroyed the clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club in suburban Detroit two years ago, other golf facilities in Michigan set about the task of making sure they were not destined for a similar fate.
    An assessment of the fire-suppression system at Detroit Golf Club revealed that it likely lacked the water pressure necessary to combat a similar disaster in its 100-year-old clubhouse.
    To make sure the club would be prepared should a fire occur, it is putting the finishing touches on a new state-of-the-art fire-suppression system. 
    The system includes a pair of massive underground storage tanks that will feed overhead sprinklers in the clubhouse if and when needed. Each tank measures 75 feet in length and has a capacity of 40,000 gallons and also can be accessed outside at the source by firefighters if water is needed for an emergency elsewhere on the property.
    "After the fire at Oakland Hills, insurance companies looked at everyone's fire-suppression system," said DGC superintendent Sam Moynihan (at right). "We didn't have the pressure we needed."
    DGC has cast a wide net to complete the upgrade project that is taking place when there already is a lot taking place at the club, so a committee of members has been enlisted to lend their expertise. 
    The 36-hole club, which first opened in 1899, is in the midst of developing a master plan and eventual restoration by architect Tyler Rae.
    The complicated and time-consuming fire-suppression project began in early October and is scheduled to be completed around Thanksgiving, said Moynihan.
    "We have quite a few members who have experience in engineering projects like this," said Moynihan. "We're able to make sure we're not missing anything."
    The system comprises a new and updated connection to the city water main that results in improved water volume and connects to a pair of underground tanks being installed near the clubhouse and practice green. Each 75-foot-long tank measures 12 feet and together offers a combined 80,000 gallons of water.
    The tanks are constructed from durable, lightweight fiberglass and are connected to each other for a total capacity of 80,000 gallons. The system works on a gravity-feed system that features intake connections to the main at the top and a pump at the bottom. In between the tanks that are pitched slightly to assist gravity are a system of sensors and pumps that will deliver plenty of water at the desired pressure.

    A new fire-suppression system at Detroit Golf Club will draw its power from a pair of 75-foot tanks, each with a capacity of 40,000 gallons. Photo by Sam Moynihan The system was designed by PEA Group, a Detroit civil engineering firm, and the tanks were built by Xerxes Corp. of Minneapolis. Blaze Contracting, a Detroit construction firm, is moving the dirt and doing the heavy lifting — literally.
    Moynihan has been soaking up knowledge from all parties involved in the project, from planning to installation for any tips that can come in handy in future construction projects.
    "I've been involved with a lot of construction projects before, but I've never done a fire-suppression project," Moynihan said.
    "When I first heard what we were doing, I immediately was thinking back to Tonka toys in the sandbox. This has been an interesting project to be involved in. I've been picking their brains about everything." 
    Before the system is buried, a series of tests of all lines will be conducted to ensure the proper volume and pressure is produced and there are no leaks anywhere in the system.
    The tanks will be strapped to underground concrete ballasts called deadmen to prevent them from moving if groundwater infiltrates the area.
    Because they have to be accessible for inspections and repairs, the 12-foot-high tanks are buried to a depth of 8-10 feet with access points at the top of each, and each also will have vent tubes to relieve pressure if the tanks become damaged. That also means that mounds 3 feet high and 75 feet long will be new fixtures near the clubhouse and practice area. 
    Once in the ground, the tanks rest upon a 6-inch layer of angular gravel, known as #57 Stone, that also helps stabilize the tanks. Then more #57 Stone is filled in around the sides of the tank for support and stabilization, and a cover will be placed on top to preserve the integrity of the gravel before finally covering them with a couple of feet of native soil.
    "The angular gravel prevents the tanks from shifting," Moynihan said. 
    "I hope when this is finished I can find a sod farm to cut some before they close for winter so I can get the area covered."
  • Foley Co. recently completed its acquisition of Salsco Inc. Salsco photo Foley Co. expanded its reach into the turf maintenance equipment market with its recent acquisition of Salsco Inc.
    With headquarters in Cheshire, Connecticut, Salsco has been a leading manufacturer of equipment for the turf maintenance industry for the past 45 years.
    Founded by Sal Rizzo in 1979, Salsco manufactures a line of turf maintenance equipment including gasoline- and electric-powered greens rollers, core-collection vehicles, leaf vacuums, blowers, wood and brush chippers, a chipper/shredder/vacuum, shavings mills and re-sizers, slab chippers, curbing machines, pavement routers, side-dump buckets, narrow-width asphalt pavers and bale wrappers and grabbers.
    "This is a perfect match for us," said Foley president and chief executive officer Paul Rauker. "I know they have the best rollers in the industry, and we have a quality line here at Foley."
    The addition follows Foley's 2020 acquisition of the Air2G2 soil air-injection system, and to that end dovetails with the company's forward-looking plans for growth and making jobs easier for golf course superintendents.
    "We want to take the horsepower of Foley and continue to drive innovation," Rauker said. 
    "We want to continue to buy the companies that are the best at what they do, team up and innovate and make things easier for superintendents and mechanics."
    Headquartered in Prescott, Wisconsin, Foley was established in 1926 and specializes in precision reel and bedknife grinders that restore cutting reels to OEM specifications, making it an ideal partner for Salsco, said Rizzo.
    "Joining forces with Foley Company marks a significant milestone for Salsco,” Rizzo said. “Together, we can leverage our strengths and create even more impactful solutions for our clients in the golf and turf industry. I am confident that this partnership will lead to exciting new innovations and opportunities for growth."
  • Envu continued to solidify its position in the turf and ornamental business with the recent completion of its acquisition of the global specialty solutions division of FMC Corp.
    The companies announced the signing of an acquisition agreement in July for $350 million, and announced the completion of the deal, including completion of the regulatory review process, on Nov. 1.
    The deal will allow FMC to focus its efforts solely on serving the agricultural crop protection market.
    "This transaction enables us to further sharpen our focus on our core agricultural business while ensuring the GSS business and employees have the right partner in Envu to support their continued growth and success," said FMC CEO Pierre Brondeau.
    With headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, Envu is short for Environmental Science U.S., LLC, which was created in 2022 when Cinven bought Bayer Environmental Science.
    Besides golf, FMC's Global Specialty Solutions segment also served the pest control, lawn and tree care, nursery and greenhouse, vector control and industrial vegetation management sectors.
    According to Envu officials, the company anticipates the FMC label for GSS products would be rebranded to Envu at some point as part of the transition, and more details will be forthcoming now that the acquisition is complete. 
    "Now that the deal is closed, we will move quickly to begin integrating the GSS team and exploring ways that we can leverage our collective strengths to deliver more innovation and more value for our customers," said Envu CEO Gilles Galliou in a news release. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with FMC as a trusted supplier and partner."
  • There are bound to be some mixed emotions that accompany retirement after spending 80 percent of your life in a single vocation.
    That is the case for Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, who retired Oct. 31 as director of grounds from Des Moines (Iowa) Golf and Country Club.
    Recipient of the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award, Tegtmeier, 65, had been working on golf courses since he was 13 years old when he started moving sod and using a push mower on a daily fee course in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa. Between then and now, Tegtmeier spent nearly 25 years in two stints at DMGCC, including the past 18 as director of grounds, 17 years at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids and a year at Hinsdale Golf Club in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.
    "It's bittersweet," said Tegtmeier, who upon retiring changed his title on his LinkedIn to Director of Nothing. "All these years, you work for this moment, and then it's over. "No more paycheck. No more solving problems. No more having answers. But, I think I'm ready for it."

    Chris Sheehan, Jim Fitzgibbons, Rick Tegtmeier and Ronnie Myles form a lasting friendship at the Open Championship. Photo courtesy of Rick Tegtmeier From being the host superintendent of the Solheim Cup, to overseeing a four-year renovation of 36-hole DMGCC in advance of the tournament to volunteering at The Open Championship to mastering a half-century-long career filled with change, Tegtmeier definitely did things his way.
    "There are so many challenges in this business," he said. "You have to be thick-skinned, and you know me, I'm not thick-skinned.
    "Looking back, I can say I did things my way. And I'm proud of that."
    Much has changed in those 52 years, including mowing technology, chemical products and fertilizers and the way in which superintendents communicate with each other and seek and share information.
    "When I started, you turned a screw on a bar to set the height of cut. Now, it's so precise," he said. "Everything we do is managed to a number. When you ran irrigation, you asked 'are we watering for 10 minutes or 5?' Now, it is based on the volumetric water content of the greens. Everything is based on a number."

    Whether it was print magazines and newsletters, online forums, in-person meetings or social media, connecting with other superintendents has been a cornerstone of success, said Tegtmeier, a graduate of Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. 
    "I didn't have a four-year degree. I learned everything I needed to know through the school of hard knocks," Tegtmeier said. "It has been a lifetime of learning, and I have enjoyed it all."
    Those changes in technology included gradually transitioning from handwritten files to digitizing tasks like soil monitoring and irrigation control. Eventually, he taught himself, and mastered, AutoCad software for mapping the property at DMGCC.
    "When I started at Elmcrest in 1989, they told me the maintenance department had a computer," he said. "I had never used one before. It ran on MS-DOS. The first time I used it, I typed a letter and it said 'error.' So, I taught myself MS-DOS. Then Apple came along. Now, there are 10 or 12 computers in the office, and I have three myself, and that doesn't count the one that runs irrigation.

    Rick Tegtmeier, left, and wife Sherry with fellow Iowa Golf Association Hall of Famer Zach Johnson. Iowa Golf Association photo Among the most difficult challenges he has faced in the past 52 years in turf maintenance have been the weather and golfers.
    "Mother Nature, that's a battle you can never win," he said. 
    "There are so many things you face every day. Golfers are one thing I'm not going to miss. You have to eat a lot of crow in this business. We are a very busy golf course. We do more than 50,000 rounds a year. You have to manage the golf course to the masses, not the 1 percent or 2 percent of them who are going to complain."
    Throughout Tegtmeier's career, among his goals has been to show off the skills of Iowa superintendents. That effort was put on a global stage in 2017 when Des Moines Golf and Country Club was the site of the Solheim Cup, and other superintendents throughout the state comprised the bulk of volunteers helping that week. 
    In the wake of that event, he was named TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award (at right accepting the award from Stephanie Schwenke of Syngenta), and among those nominating him for the award was LPGA Hall of Famer and Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster. In 2019, he was inducted into the Iowa Golf Association Hall of Fame.
    "The Iowa guys are a close-knit group," he said. "I wanted to show the Iowa guys that what we're doing is as important as what the big boys are doing."
    The event was a smash hit among Iowans, as it set attendance records by attracting 124,426 fans, topping by 4,000 the previous record set at the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
    "We set a record for attendance that still stands today," he said.
    "I brought women in to work on the golf course. We were doing things in that area before it ever became a movement."
    In retirement, Tegtmeier plans to spend a lot of time with his family. His three children and grandchildren all live in the Des Moines area. He also plans to travel extensively with wife of 40 years, Sherry.
    "My plan," he said, "is not to be the richest man in the cemetery. I am going to spend what I have worked my life to earn."
    Tegtmeier capped his career by volunteering at the 2022 Open Championship at The Old Course at St. Andrews as part of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association volunteer support team.
    Before the tournament started, volunteers were told to avoid the famed Swilcan Bridge and cross the creek over a nearby berm. After the first day, Tegtmeier led a revolt among those on his team to disregard that message.
    As the other volunteers assembled the following day, someone asked if he really ignored the missive and crossed the fame bridge.
    "I told them I didn't come 3,500 miles not to cross that bridge, so the next day I walked over it," he said. "After that, we all did it."
    He definitely did things "his way."
  • In a previous career, Steven Neuliep, CGCS, might have made a good CSI investigator. In his next one, as the principal of Neuliep Golf, he is using those investigative skills and desire to seek the truth as a professional litigation support specialist for golf clubs involved in legal battles.
    That vocation is called "expert witness" by some, but Neuliep says "litigation support specialist" is more accurate since it involves communicating what he called "standards of practice" and "duty of care"... or, in layman's terms, what a reasonable person might do to ensure that golf facilities are doing what they can and should do to safeguard clientele and employees.
    A golf course superintendent for 25 years, Neuliep (right) retired last spring from Etowah Valley Golf and Resort in western North Carolina to focus on the next phase of his career. He began researching litigation support more than a decade ago, and has been slowly building his business, with a focus on golf, for the past five years.
    "I feel like a CSI; I like to try to figure things out," Neuliep said. "I wanted to stay active in the golf world."
    Many of the types of incidents that can result in litigation involve errant golf shots by players and golf car accidents. As a result, Neuliep has been called to testify in cases that resulted in serious bodily injury or even death.
    According to Sadler and Co., an insurance firm that serves many golf course facilities, as many as 13,000 golf car accidents occur in the U.S. each year, with as many as 600 resulting in a death. 
    In many such cases, litigation can center around standard industry practices, such as those established by the American National Standards Institute. Established ANSI standards exist for operation of golf cars and mechanized equipment, but there are many gray areas that often come up in litigation where there is a lack of .
    "I see my job as educating the jury, the judge and even the attorneys about what happened," Neuliep said. "Most people are so unfamiliar with the golf business compared to other industries."
    Neuliep started thinking about litigation support as a career path in 2013 after talking with Michael Johnstone, an architect of buildings and golf courses who also is an established expert witness.
    To this day, Johnstone still is helping Neuliep establish himself in the field.
    "There is a tremendous learning curve," Neuliep said.
    There also is a learning curve for those in the legal community, as he focuses on educating those involved on what should be done or could have been done to avoid the courtroom in the first place.

    Damaged and ignored infrastructure can be an accident waiting to happen. All photos courtesy of Steven Neuliep, CGCS When establishing what Neuliep called standards of practice, it makes sense in the face of litigation to compare practices and standards of golf facilities that are comparable in nature.
    Standards of safety for a multi-course property with a massive budget might not apply to a nine-hole mom-and-pop operating on a wing and a prayer. Likewise, standards of safety can differ by terrain or climate.
    "Florida is different than Western North Carolina," Neuliep said. "And coming up with standards is different."
    Signage warning golfers of the dangers that exist throughout the golf course might not always be enough to avoid litigation or win a case in the courtroom.
    Sometimes protecting people from the hazards present on a golf course might require more than just signage.

    Sometimes, a warning sign on a golf course might not be enough to protect clientele and staff. Guarding against slips, trips and falls requires upkeep of infrastructure and more. For example, any place with more than three steps probably should have a handrail, Neuliep said.
    The best advice he can provide for golf course owners and operators is to think ahead when it comes to safety.
    "You should have regular safety meetings, and not many do," he said. "Golfers are fixated on conditions, so safety elements are not always top of mind.
    "If you're meeting about safety, but you're not safe the other 29 days of the month, then you're not really safe."
  • Aquatrols has donated more than $1 million to environmental projects around the world since 2019 through The FairWays Foundation. The FairWays Foundation, established five years ago by Aquatrols to help fund environmental initiatives, will distribute $119,040 to 11 environmental projects worldwide in 2024. 
    Established in 2019 by former Aquatrols president and CEO Matt Foster, the FairWays Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing conservation and environmental stewardship. By providing grants to both small and large-scale projects, the foundation addresses environmental challenges and supports educational initiatives worldwide.
    Withe the latest round of grants, the foundation has now donated a total of $1.1 million to 59 conservation initiatives across the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa.
    The 2024 grant cycle included a diverse range of projects, from the GreenerGolf Network conference that serves to inspire golf clubs throughout the United Kingdom to meet the industry's environmental challenges and the AquaArborAware project that focuses on river and forest conservation education in the Anumle community in Ghana. Other notable projects included eco-pond restoration, heathland regeneration and various on-course ecology and sustainability initiatives. You can view a list of all this year’s successful projects here.
    "The FairWays Foundation is extremely proud of this year’s grant recipients," said Gregg Lovell, president of the foundation and Central East territory manager for Aquatrols. "They represent three continents with an increased focus on public outreach and education. 
    "We can’t wait to see the finished projects and observe the positive impacts they are having within their communities."
  • As the son of a football coach, Joe Wachter spent much of his life outdoors playing sports as a child, so it might seem only natural that he chose a career that allowed him to spend time outdoors. As it turns out, that career outside on the golf course happened mostly by coincidence.
    Wachter was working as a school bus contractor in the St. Louis area in 1990 when he was at a fundraiser golf tournament at Glen Echo Country Club. While there, he overheard a man nearby discussing his need to hire an assistant golf course superintendent. Wachter, who was already considering a career change to the landscaping industry, thought he just might have stumbled onto the perfect opportunity. 
    Two days later, after discussing things with his now ex-wife and brother Ed, who was superintendent at Innsbrook Resort in Missouri at the time, Wachter called the man who happened to be Lee Redman, superintendent at Sunset Country Club in suburban St. Louis.
    "He hired me on the spot," Wachter said. "I immediately lost the company car and about 30 percent of my salary. After talking about it with my wife, she said 'OK, if you think it's the right thing to do.' I said 'I think it is.' "
    Thirty-four years later, at the end of October, Wachter is closing the books on that career that happened purely by being in the right place at the right time. And it is ending right where it (sort of) began — Glen Echo, an 1896 Jim Foulis design that was the host site of the 1904 Olympic golf competition.
    "I'm ready," Wachter said.
    "As you get older, you realize you've given up a lot of personal time. Now you want to take advantage of what's left. In the end, this is the best thing."
    Wachter is a graduate of the business school at Southeast Missouri State, and later completed his turf education at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, where he took 11 horticulture classes.

    An 1896 Jim Foulis design, Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis was the host course of the golf competition during the 1904 Olympic Games. Photo courtesy of Joe Wachter He spent the last 16 years of his career at Glen Echo, where he was superintendent and also doubled as general manager from 2016 to 2018. 
    "I was supposed to spend about 20 percent of my time on the golf course," Wachter said. "But there was so much going on in the clubhouse at that time that I was buried up there. I was never getting out to the golf course.
    "I needed to focus on what I was best at, and that was the golf course."
    Wachter is a get-your-hands-dirty superintendent, and his career on turf has been a real-world lesson on how to do more with less. He got a crash course in that when he took his first head superintendent job in 1993 at New Melle Lakes Golf Course.
    "I wanted to go to the public side to learn the business," he said. "I've learned how to drive a truck and a backhoe. All those things you dream of doing as a kid, but never thought you'd get to do.
    "Looking back, I think I was a little too impatient to become a boss, because I immediately faced a 60 percent reduction in budget and a 70 percent reduction in staffing."

    Joe Wachter, standing at far right on the porch, was the organizer of a 2009 TurfNet Habitat for Humanity project in Hurricane Katrina-torn New Orleans. Photo by Jon Kiger He was superintendent at Eagle Springs Golf Course in St. Louis from 1996 to 2003 and then spent the next five years at Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in Alton, Illinois, before moving on to Glen Echo in 2008.
    In that time, much has changed in the profession of being a golf course superintendent, including technology and chemistries. But an often-overlooked change, Wachter says, is how the Internet brought the turf community together.
    "It has made the world smaller for us by being able to communicate with people in other places," he said. "Because of that, I've been able to talk with people like Ted Horton, Oscar Miles, Gordon Witteveen, Jerry Coldiron. All giants in the industry. And it has allowed me to exchange ideas and information with them. That would not have been possible before.
    One thing he learned, and that became a constant at each stop throughout Wachter's career has been trying to make the golf course a fun place to work for his team, while working together to improve playing conditions for golfers.
    "I've always tried to make their jobs easier," he said. "The easier you make their jobs, the easier yours becomes. And our customers appreciate our hard work if we make the golf experience enjoyable for them. I try to throw a few flowers out there and make the grass look good."
    Many superintendents look back on their careers and want that reputation of providing the best-possible playing conditions on the golf course as their defining legacy. Wachter hopes his is something much more meaningful.
    "I'd like to be remembered for how I treated people, and how I think I've put their needs ahead of mine," he said. "If you do that, your needs will be taken care of."
    To that end, Wachter was the driving force behind organizing a Habitat for Humanity project during the 2009 GCSAA Show in New Orleans. The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina were still evident throughout New Orleans four years after it made landfall southeast of the city in Plaquemines Parish.
    Thanks to Wachter, about two-dozen TurfNet members participated in putting the finishing touches on a Habitat for Humanity home in the city's badly damaged Ninth Ward.
    "I like doing things for other people. It's more satisfying than just taking care of your own needs," he said. "If you help others have success, then others will think well of you."
    Joe was recognized back in 2022 as the first TurfNet All Star of Turf.
  • Golf course owners and operators, or at least their attorneys, are no strangers to the inside of a courtroom. In fact, golf courses, and those who run them, have a history for being the subject of lawsuits for a variety of reasons, including errant golf shots and golf car mishaps.
    In an effort to help support owners and operators, the National Golf Course Owners Association recently launched its Champions Circle, an advocacy initiative aimed at assisting golf course owners and operators facing litigation.
    The NGCOA, like many other allied golf associations, has a history of advocating on behalf of owners and operators since it was founded nearly a half-century ago.
    Golf courses often are the subject of lawsuits for reasons, such as errant shots that strike golfers, nearby homes and passing cars. Others have been sued when golfers crash after losing control of their golf car. Earlier this year, a group of golfers sued a municipality over selling tee times for the city's seven public golf courses to a foreign third-party purveyor. In 2022, a man sued a Massachusetts golf course when he was denied an SUV he says he won as a hole-in-one prize after recording an ace on the hole.
    As part of its commitment to help golf industry professionals navigate through legal waters, the association recently stepped up to assist Indian Pond Golf Club in Massachusetts and Cazenovia Golf Club in New York, both of which became embroiled in litigation as a result of errant shots by players.

    An advocacy initiative by the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators who are the subject of lawsuits. According to the NGCOA: "In more recent years, we've faced a rising tide of litigation targeting the golf industry, and NGCOA's advocacy department has remained vigilant, responsive and victorious."
    In the Indian Pond case, homeowners are seeking relief after their home reportedly has been hit by a barrage of golf balls. The couple initially was awarded a $3.5 million settlement, which was set aside by a Supreme Judicial Court judge. 
    In the Cazenovia case, a golfer filed suit after saying he was injured upon being struck in the eye by an errant shot from another participant during a tournament.
    The goals of the Champions Circle program are:
    Support emergency legal and advocacy needs; Support ongoing golf industry organizations and their initiatives to amplify our collective voices, and provide greater influence, exposure and guidance in complex external factors; Build a network of legal professionals in areas of liability, human relations and property management; Support future and yet-to-be-determined advocacy work. According to the association: "Our fight has continued as more policies and laws have arisen that have negatively impacted the golf industry — many at the state and local levels. More will come. And though NGCOA continues to assist, we'll need the industry to help build our offense and defense to assist directly in these fights — and to continue providing our member courses with timely and effective legal and emergency response."
  • The Georgia GCSA should probably have been renamed a generation ago.
    "Our chapter became known as the Atlanta chapter," said Georgia GCSA president Tim Busek, superintendent at St. Ives Country Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. "All the board members were from Atlanta, 98 percent of all of our events were held in Atlanta. It really alienated superintendents around the rest of the state."
    That isolation from the rest of the state ended when Tenia Workman took over as the association's executive director in 2002. Workman focused on making the association more representative of the needs of superintendents throughout all of Georgia, not just those in the metropolitan Atlanta area. And it worked. In her time as executive director, Workman ran an association that saw its membership nearly double as it literally became a model for government relations work and environmental stewardship.
    "She brought the association together as one," Busek said. 
    Workman, a 2019 recipient of TurfNet's Jerry Coldiron Positivity Award, announced recently that she will retire at year's end. Busek, who has served on the chapter board of directors for the past 14 years, will take over as executive director.
    Busek's last day at St. Ives is set for Nov. 10, and he is scheduled to begin his new post the following day. Workman will stay on through the end of the year to help Busek get acclimated to his new position.
    As Workman strived to bring superintendents throughout Georgia under the chapter umbrellla, membership grew from 400 about 20 years ago, to more than 700 today. As the wife of a retired superintendent and mother of a working superintendent, Workman has a keen insight into the needs of the association.
    Scott Lambert, superintendent at Atlanta Country Club, has been a chapter member since 2007, when he still was studying turfgrass management at the University of Georgia. He was immediately impressed with Workman's tireless work on behalf of association members.
    "She treats everyone like she's known them for years," Lambert said. "She gives everyone that personal touch.

    Tim Busek, right, will take over next month as executive director of the Georgia GCSA chapter from Tenia Workman, who will retire at the end of the year. "She is a lot like a superintendent. She does things behind the scenes that not everyone notices, and she does it not because she has to, but because she wants to be the best she can be."
    To that end, Workman played a key role in helping superintendents draft a BMP plan in the face of water-use restrictions that were imposed during drought conditions in 2007. That plan has become a blueprint for other chapters as well as non-golf industries nationwide by forging a positive relationship with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
    "She helped establish that relationship with the Georgia EPD that is still there to this day," Busek said. "When people from other industries call them about best management practices, they give them our number."
    During her tenure, results like establishing a BMP program that government officials and agencies recognize helped cement the Georgia GCSA's place among the country's leading chapters.
    "There is no doubt we are now seen as a leader in this industry nationwide," Busek said. 
    Busek, 51, spent the past five years as golf course superintendent at St Ives Country Club. Prior to his time at St Ives, Busek spent 15 years as superintendent at The Manor Golf and Country Club in Milton, and 10 years before that as an assistant superintendent at Atlanta Country Club. He is currently closing out a second term as Georgia GCSA president. His first term was in 2020-21.
    Among his goals is working with schools throughout Georgia to promote careers in turfgrass management.
    "Realistically, I know I can't fill her shoes," Busek said. "I'm just going to try to build on where she left off."
  • According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports of mental health issues are on the rise — and at an alarming rate.
    There are several contributing factors.
    Most recently, many of us know friends, family or colleagues whose lives have been disrupted by hurricanes Helene and Milton. 
    Toss in the uncertainty that accompanies an election year marked by ugly rhetoric and slander, partisan media reporting, identity politics, an uncertain economy and ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, and it is no wonder why so many people report having concerns about their own mental health.
    Forty-three percent of adults say they feel more anxious than they did last year, up from 37 percent last year and 32 percent in 2022, according to the CDC. Seventy percent of adults report feeling anxious about current events, and 77% are stressed about the election. About 1:4 adults report feeling persistently sad or hopeless, according to the CDC.
    Superintendents might not feel lucky when confronted by angry golfers or committee members, but during times of high stress off the golf course you should consider yourself fortunate. Research indicates you have chosen a profession that, although not stress proof, is naturally insulated more than others against such difficult times.
    To that end, ask any superintendent how and why they started in the golf business, and one of the responses that almost always comes up is some form of a desire to be outdoors.
    Thomas Bastis, CGCS, spent nearly 20 years as a superintendent before becoming a PGA Tour agronomist in 2017. When he is not on a golf course, Bastis (at right) spends much of his free time competing in extreme sports, and says he was always destined for a career that allowed him to spend time outdoors.
    "(It was) pretty much everything," Bastis said when asked what role working outdoors played in his vocational choice.
    Indeed, there are seemingly countless anecdotes and similar responses about the perceived benefits of working outside vs. an indoor career where one is insulated from the sunrise, fresh air, the sound of birds chirping and just being able to reach down and touch grass, both figuratively and literally.
    Paul MacCormack, general manager and superintendent at Fox Meadow Golf and Country Club on Prince Edward Island, has built a brand on helping superintendents reduce stress and knows all too well the benefits of his profession.
    "Working outside played a huge role in my decision to become a superintendent," MacCormack said. "I had always loved working outdoors as a teenager, and after trying my hand at a few indoor gigs I knew that I needed a bigger office space. 
    "Working on a golf course offered me that and then some. The connection to the natural world and the seasons is vitally important to me."
    That therapeutic feeling that comes with working outdoors is not all in your head. There is science-backed evidence of the curative and restorative effects of working in the great outdoors.
    Biophilia is the term for the idea that people have a natural connection with nature and other living things. Few jobs allow people to get in touch with their inner biophilia than working on a golf course. 
    There are a variety of benefits that come with working outdoors, according to several research studies on the topic, including improved energy and focus, increased productivity and fewer days lost to sickness, reduced stress, better teamwork and creativity and reduced stress.
    "I'm glad I chose this type of job," said Joe Wachter, who is retiring at the end of the month as superintendent at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis. "Being involved in organized athletics from 6 to 21 years (of age), I sold my soul to the outdoors, along with hunting, fishing, camping and floating during my kid and young adult years."

    Even damage, like this downed tree caused by Hurricane Fiona in 2022 is not enough to keep Paul MacCormack down. A 2020 study by researchers at the University of Montana and Penn State University showed a link between being in a parklike setting and positive wellbeing.
    Dr. Edward Laskowski, co-director of the Sports Medicine Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, linked the sedentary lifestyle of working indoors with a host of health concerns, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Likewise, researchers in Australia published a study in 2016 indicating that those who spend extended time in green spaces had lower rates of depression and high blood pressure and stronger social interactions than those who did not get outside regularly.
    "I never thought about it, and it would be hard to quantify how much, but I absolutely have had a preference for being outdoors my entire life," said Carlton Henry, superintendent at Dedham Country and Polo Club in Massachusetts. "The only other job I have ever worked was washing dishes in a Greek restaurant in high school, during the winter, and I quit. I don't know if it's particularly because I was indoors, but it wasn't for me."
    Although there is no scientific evidence about the detrimental effects that come with being exposed to rude restaurant customers or irate golfers, a University of Michigan study shows that spending just one hour outside can reduce levels of the hormone that can cause stress by 20 percent.
    Bastis knew early on that he likely would be working in some vocation where he could spend time outdoors. Unlike many children today who are more at home wiling away the hours indoors with a gaming device or cell phone, Bastis spent much of his childhood outdoors.
    "I was an Eagle Scout and loved being outside," he said. "Loved exploring, traveling, digging in the dirt and having a dollar in my pocket."
    When you think the stress of current events is becoming too much, go outside and touch some grass, and be grateful you can, because not everyone is so fortunate.

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